Lakers too tough for Suns
Check the Pacific Division standings this morning.
It still says "Phoenix" one line above "Los Angeles Lakers." But does it feel like that anymore?
The Suns, after suffering their season's worst defeat to the Lakers last month, let the Los Angeles Lakers pull within one game of their division lead Tuesday when Kobe Bryant scored 26 second-half points and Andrew Bynum had a career-high 28 points to lead the Lakers to a 122-115 victory at Staples Center.
Phoenix has lost five of its past eight games, followed wins with losses three consecutive times and is a .500 team (7-7) against teams in its conference.
The downward turn from 16-4 coincided with a run of tougher teams and one of the league's more road-intensive schedules. Suns center Amaré Stoudemire sounded like he found coal in his stocking after a game in which his man, Andrew Bynum, hurt Phoenix badly.
"We talk about a lot of different things, but we've got to go ahead and do it," Stoudemire said. "It's timeout for excuses, timeout for pointing fingers. It's time to go ahead and do it. It's pretty much a will factor. You've got to want to do it. . . . This sucks, man. I don't like losing to the Los Angeles Lakers at all. I feel like we're a better team. We've got to go out there and prove it. We can't say we're a better team. We can't say our roster's more in-depth than theirs. They won both games this season so far. Right now, they're a better team."
Tuesday's game gave evidence as to why the Lakers are improved from last year, when Kwame Brown and Smush Parker were starting at center and point guard. Now, Andrew Bynum, 20, is breaking out, and Derek Fisher (15 first-half points) is running a steadier point. With Luke Walton (ankle sprain) out, newly acquired forward Trevor Ariza scored 14 in his first start.
It did not matter that Phoenix had a second consecutive first half of more than 60 points and only two turnovers because the Los Angeles Lakers matched the points tally. That set up Kobe Bryant, who scored on Phoenix whether Raja Bell and Shawn Marion made it hard or easy. Phoenix never had a chance to tie in the fourth quarter, only reducing the Lakers lead to 112-107 with 2:39 to play before giving up an Ariza dunk, having Stoudemire miss a three-pointer out of a timeout and then surrendering a Andrew Bynum layup.
"We keep thinking that the next time out it's going to magically show up, and it doesn't work like that," Bell said. "You have to work at that and continue to work before it translates into that chemistry . . . It's hard to walk around proud as a peacock when you're not getting the wins you want."
Forward Grant Hill had a glass half-full view because his team is nearly atop the Western Conference.
"We're not playing our best basketball, but come May nobody cares about December," Hill said.
Stoudemire did, talking with an edge rarely heard.
"We can't let them feel that confidence," he said of the Los Angeles Lakers. "They've got the upper hand. They've got the stamina. They've got the momentum. They've got everything on us right now. We have to turn it around, and it starts against the Los Angeles Clippers (on Thursday)."
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